Free SCARS by Amy Leigh McCorkle Page B

don’t want to let her go. I refuse to let her go. Understand?”
                  “Doesn’t make me any less angry that you two just up and fucked in this house without giving a thought as to when I might have come in.”
                  “While it might have been hot, erotic and intense. But we did not just fuck in your precious seafoam green bathroom. Not that I’m one to kiss and tell but I needed him and he needed me. I won’t make excuses for what I did. He brought me back from brink. Understand? He may have been out on that bridge, but I have demons of my own.”
                  “I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
                  “As long as I live and breathe she won’t be.”
                  Ellen looked at him and said, “You best make good on that promise. Because if you hurt her, I’ll fucking cut you. Capiche?”
                  “Capiche.”
                  “Did you take your meds?”
                  “All but my metformin. Need to eat.”
                  “Why don’t we eat out? Give us all a chance to know one another better.”
                  I could see the pensive look on James’ face. We had just gone through what felt like a life altering experience. Eating out in a crowd wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time.
                  “Could we perhaps get carryout?” I asked.
                  “No, Rayna. I can do this. I’m not helpless.”
                  “Yeah. I heard about the incident at Denny’s the other day.”
                  The incident.
                  She said it with such distaste I could see that it shamed James to degree.
                  “I think I’ll just take James home. Take my meds with me. Stay with him for a while.”
                  Ellen looked shocked. When she gasped James took my hand and squeezed it.
                  “It’s okay, I’m not offended. People fear what they don’t understand. At least she’s open to hearing about it.”
                  James had such optimism where Ellen was concerned. Ellen was a hard nut to crack. For so long she had been my protector. At the time I doubted James fully appreciated the difficulty of the position Ellen was in. In a way she was passing the torch. And she wasn’t sure of the guy taking the flame from her.
                  “You gotta understand James. It’s been me and Rayna against the world for a long time now. Boyfriends, even fiances have come and gone. They’ve either been too weak or too much of an asshole or both to stand the test of time. The fact she’s known you all of a week and has managed to engage in some of the most reckless behavior I’ve seen from her ever scares me.”
                  “I understand, Ellen. I’ve tried to push her away. But she won’t let me and I can’t deny her anything it is she asks for. It’s none of your business but I took all the precautionary measures needed to make love to her. And while didn’t have sex in the shower we did share the pleasure of one another’s company. I’m a grown man, I’ve served my country. I have a checkered past. I make no apologies to you or anyone else for my life and how I’ve lived it. Rayna wants me in her life. I want her in mine. End of story.”
                  Ellen gave me a look of disbelief.
                  “You’re allowing a man to speak for you? This is not the Rayna I know and love.”
                  I was too shocked to speak. I wanted my moment in the shower to stay there between James and I. And I wanted Ellen on my side. Both Ellen and James had strong personalities. I would have to be my own person. Make my own decisions. I couldn’t lean in the shadows of either of them.